Change
by Military-SweetHeart
Summary: Sakura decides that she's tired of being the weak link, and she's fed up with being ignored by her sensei. So, she takes matters into her own hands and decides to study and train. However, Anko overhears her determined stance and takes the poor girl under her wing. Instead of becoming a heavy hitter, Sakura becomes a silent hunter nin with help from Anko and Ibiki. (Edited)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Finding A Goal**

**Edited**

Why was she so weak?! She slammed her fists down repeatedly on the railing of the red bridge, chewing her bottom lip until it bled from the action. She ignored the painful sensation and went on with her mental pity party. After all, it was easier for her to focus on the mental pain rather than the physical._  
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Sasuke-kun and Naruto were so strong and so brave. They didn't have to worry about being left behind. They didn't have to worry about being weak.

No, they didn't have to worry about anything.

"Why am I so weak?" She asked herself, thumping her head down on the railing, and watched her bleeding lip make tiny dots on the wood. "I was such a failure during the mission." She said to herself, remembering that horrible trip. From the beginning she had done nothing but stand in the way, paralyzed with fear. She hadn't been able to do anything; just hold her kunai and try to look anything but afraid. Sasuke-kun and Naruto had been able to fight together and form a plan without even saying a word. And what did she do? She stood there like a weakling, "protecting" the client! When it came to their training, she had been able to beat the boys without a sweat, but only because of her intelligence. And she hadn't even gone to the top of the tree; she only went halfway because she didn't want to embarrass her precious Sasuke-kun too much. Kakashi-sensei had praised her, sure, but it had been in a sarcastic and ironic manner in an attempt to rile up the boys. It had worked, to an extent. It had made Sasuke-kun angry with her, and Naruto star-struck. She had wanted it to be the other way around, kind of.

She sighed and pushed herself off the bridge, deciding that she could mope in her room where people wouldn't see her. She could also take care of her bleeding lip while she was holed up inside like a hermit. She figured she could make these two weeks go by quicker if she just stayed inside and out of sight. She would be able to rethink her life choices and decide if she really was cut out to be a ninja after all.

Her feet started to drag her towards home, when she remembered that boy on the bridge; the one that had been able to fight without being scared, without letting his emotions get in the way of his mission; and he hadn't even been a shinobi! He had had no formal training and was strong enough to nearly kill her Sasuke-kun. Kill, not injure, kill. She had simply stood there as Naruto and Sasuke-kun fought for their lives. She had nearly lost one of them because she hadn't done anything other than throw a god damn kunai to Sasuke-kun. In the end, her effort had been for nothing. Kakashi-sensei had been there, even though he had been fighting a very strong opponent. He had been able to kill the boy without a second thought.

Even Zabuza had been able to kill Gato's men without the use of his arms.

Dammit! Why was she so weak!

Sakura stopped and grabbed her head, wanting to pull her hair out.

**We need to get stronger.** Her inner told her making her stop in her tracks. Her inner was right. The only way she would stop being weak, was if she got stronger. And in order to do that, she had to train. Both her body and her mind. With this new purpose, she quickly spun on her heal. Her new found determination flooded her veins. She would study every book she could get her hands onto if it meant she would stop being the weak link once and for all. She would go to the library and get as many books as she can about-

That made her stop. What books should she get?

**Well, we know we have great chakra control, even though it's underdeveloped, and we were the smartest female in our class. So we need to get books that play to our strengths, and then build on from there. **Inner told Sakura.

_'Okay, we need to see what those two things can do for us in regards to training.' _Sakura thought, walking through the streets of the civilian sector. She knew that there were plenty of libraries where she lived, but they catered to the civilians, not to the shinobi. So she had to head to where all the clans and shinobi lived. After all, that's where her goal was.

While she walked, she thought back to the boy in the mask. Kakashi had said he had been pretending to be a hunter nin.

_'Hmm, he hadn't been as strong as Sasuke-kun, or even Naruto. But he had been faster and smarter than them.' _Sakura thought. She remembered Iruka-sensei saying that Hunter nins had to have the same amount of chakra control and focus as medics, because their job relied on the ability to make a clean kill without damaging anything vital. They also had to know human anatomy, be able to recite all the pressure points on the human body from memory, and also know where all the chakra gates were as well. But, unlike medics, they had to be able to shut off their emotions like a switch. Emotions could be the deciding factor between killing a nuke nin, or letting village secrets get away.

Sakura stopped, nearly bumping into a woman with dark purple hair. She shrugged her shoulders and kept on walking, wondering where she saw pink hair before. While she thought about that, Sakura thought about what she was thinking about doing.

_'Hunter nins have perfect chakra control...they're intelligent...they're fast...'_ Sakura thought, listing the pros in her mind. She willed her feet forward, even if she was nervous about what she was going to do. _'The only thing that they have that we don't is the complete lack of emotions when it comes to the mission.' _She added, letting her shoulders slip ever so slightly. She would have to work on that one.

**This job plays into our strengths, and we can always train our weaknesses. **Inner added, for once being calm and serious. Normally Inner was her more bold side, while Sakura was calm and cautious. It was odd having her Inner be the rational one for once. Maybe this entire thing was for the better. Maybe she could change herself into something great. Maybe, just maybe, she would be the one protecting the boys for once.

_'Well, it looks like we're gonna be studying everything from anatomy to medicine to Hunter nins.' _Sakura stated to herself, walking into the library.

"Hello," she greeted the grouchy looking Chunin at the check-out table. The man had messy brown hair that looked like it needed a brush. His skin was tanned, showing a few wrinkles around te edges of his eyes. They gave the appearance that he was quick to smile, even if his expression said otherwise. His cold, calculating, grey eyes made Sakura freeze in place and wonder if she should just walk out and high-tail it back to her home. But something in her made her stand her ground.

"What?" The man snapped, not noticing the way Sakura's eyebrow twitched. She resisted the urge to turn and cry, instead taking a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves.

"Where can I find books on medical chakra, chakra control, stealth, speed training, human anatomy, and Hunter nins?" She politely asked, not noticing the look someone was giving her in the background. It was a simple look of curiosity, and nothing more. The man coughed in his hand and stood up, gesturing for her to follow him. She did so without hesitation.

"You wanting to be a Hunter nin?" The man asked.

"Something like that." She said softly. "I need to learn everything I can first, before I can start to train and reach my goal." The man chuckled dryly and started handing her books as he walked further into the library. Sakura noticed it got darker the further they went, which didn't bother her. It was like this back in the civilian libraries. She assumed it was because people preferred to read where it was quiet and dark, away from annoyances. Maybe she should start reading here. She doubted that Naruto would follow her into here.

"Goal, eh?" He asked, grabbing the last two books she needed. He knew she had only asked for where they were, but seeing her innocent determination made the man want to help her. It was better than sitting in that hard as rock chair until his shift ended. After looking at the pile she was holding, he was surprised that she wasn't complaining about the weight. He saw her arms shake ever so slightly, but didn't say anything about it. He figured he would let her figure out her own solution.

"I want to get stronger, so that I can protect myself and my teammates; so they can be the ones watching my back, instead of the usual," Sakura stated softly, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Hmm, not bad for a goal. But what will you do after you achieve that one?" The man asked, grabbing a few books on Hunter nins and the techniques they used. He even grabbed a book on senbon training, as that was the favored weapon used by Hunters. Sakura chewed on her bottom lip in silent thought, making it start to bleed yet again. The man noticed this and applied a little chakra to his finger before running it over her lip. Sakura startled, before relaxing when he drew his finger away. Even though the man looked rough, he was surprisingly polite with her. He had even healed her lip without her asking.

Hmm, maybe he could teach her how to do that. It could be useful should her teammates get into another fight. Which would most likely happen. Like in the near future.

"I don't know. Maybe find a new sensei, one that won't ignore me because I'm weak." She said, bitterness lacing through her voice. The man blinked in surprise. Someone this young shouldn't be this bitter, and yet, she sounded like she had gone through hell and back.

"Who's your sensei?" A third voice asked, making the man straighten and Sakura crane her head backwards to get a good look at the woman standing behind her. She had purple hair in a spiky ponytail, and greyish brown eyes. She was wearing a fishnet over a tan t-shirt, a tan trench coat with a moderately high collar, brown skirt, and fishnet leggings that stopped mid-thigh. She had shin guards over her blue sandals and was holding a stick of dango in her right hand.

"Mitarashi-san, I've told you a thousand times, no food in here." The man said in a stiff voice. The woman waved him off and kept her eyes on Sakura. Her eyes gave a devious glint in the dim light. Something in Sakura suddenly wanted to learn how to do that.

"Kakashi Hatake, ma'am." Sakura said in an even tone, wondering if this woman knew her sensei. If only she knew.

"You're polite, brat. What's your name?" Anko asked, taking a bite off her dango stick, despite the evil look the man sent her.

"Sakura Haruno." She answered, bowing out of reflex even if the books hindered the movement. She wasn't used to people asking for her name, they usually only cared about her teammate's names and who to complain to about the mess they would always cause.

Was that bitterness she had just felt for Sasuke-kun and Naruto? Now that she thought about it, the more she thought about her comrades, the more she wanted to growl and snap at them for treating her like the weak link. Naruto didn't do it on purpose, so she couldn't get mad at him. But Sasuke on the other hand, he did it with the knowledge that it would hurt her. He did it because he knew that the more he did it, the more she would doubt herself as a ninja. He did it with the knowledge that she would eventually give up the shinobi life.

She was tired of Sasuke treating her like she was worthless.

She was tired of Naruto always trying to protect her.

She was tired of Kakashi-sensei brushing her training off like it was no big deal.

And most importantly, she was tired of being Sasuke's little fangirl.

Did she just think about Sasuke without adding the honorific?

She did it again.

Huh, weird.

Shaking her head mentally, she waited to see what the woman before her wanted from her.

"Hatake, huh? The lazy bastard. And he was the one always talking about how teammates shouldn't ditch one another. What a fucking hypocrite!" Anko said, rolling her eyes at the thought of the Copy Cat nin. She always thought that man was too smug and full of himself to even bother to train his brats correctly. Sakura didn't even bother defending her sensei. The woman was right, after all. Kakashi-sensei was always telling them about how important teamwork was and how they should never leave one another behind, but he never could practice what he preached, could he?

Anko noticed how the girl was carrying a ton of books and all of them looked pretty advanced for a girl her age. Some of them were even meant for Chunin level shinobi. She grinned darkly, an idea beginning to take shape in her twisted little mind. This pink haired girl was serious about getting stronger, and it looked like she was willing to put in some serious hours studying on how to be better. Maybe, with a little suggestion, she would be willing to put all of that knowledge to use.

T&I could always use some new recruits.

"Say, kid, meet me at Training Ground 13 tomorrow at 4 a.m. And don't be late." Anko said before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. Sakure blinked before realization dawned on her. Did she just get a new sensei? And one who was willing to look past her pink hair, too?

"Goddamn, kid. You must've said something to impress Mitarashi-san. She hates kids and never takes anyone under her wing." The man behind her explained, whistling lowly when Sakura's eyes flickered with confusion and awe.

"Really? Then I guess I better get home and start studying if I want to stay her student, huh?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side and smiling. The man cursed mentally as an imagine of another Anko ran through his mind. Dear Kami. This girl was serious; there might be a mini Anko running around the village in the next few weeks, that is, if she can survive Anko's sadistic training requirements.

Aw, fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Studying and Training  
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**Edited**

Sakura was happy.

No, that wasn't the right word to use.

She was ecstatic that someone so well known as Anko Mitarashi would be willing to take her under her wing.

What was even better was that the man at the library, Hiro Takashi, had offered to help her as well. He would quiz her on her studying whenever he saw her, so she had better study well. If he was impressed or satisfied, then he would get her more advanced books. So far, he had given her Chunin level books and told her to treat them well. Sakura had been happy when she left, so happy in fact, that when Kakashi had appeared in front of her explaining he wouldn't be able to meet with the team for a few weeks, she simply thanked him for informing her and went on her merry way.

Kakashi's confused look was so worth the sting in her arms.

They were aching from carrying the mountain of books Hiro had given her, but it felt good to her.

And now that she was home, she knew she had to go through some major changes in order to take the first step forward.

**Like figuring out a new look. **Inner offered, happy with that thought. Sakura nodded in agreement. While her current outfit was stylish, it was useless when it came to training. The dress only got in the way of her legs and her long hair only served to get in her eyes. **We're not cutting our hair, but maybe we could tie it up?** Inner offered again, a little nervous at losing her beautiful hair.

_'Don't worry, we won't be cutting it.' _Sakura stated. She loved her hair, loved the length and the color. But Inner was right, it only got in her way and she felt certain that Mitarashi-sensei would use it to her advantage.

"Alright, a new wardrobe it is." Sakura said softly to herself, stripping out of her dress and shorts. She was glad her window was closed and the curtains were pulled over it. And she was also grateful that her parents weren't home to see her toss her dresses and frilly things into a corner. She would either throw them away, or donate them.

Sakura looked at her closet, and deflated a little. There was hardly anything left after she had gone through it all. She had two pairs of black nin pants, two black, sleeveless turtlenecks, a black jacket that zipped up sideways and diagonally, creating a high collar that protected her neck and a black skirt.

She had taken out all her bright clothes, which left her barely anything.

"Black it is, then." She said, grabbing a pair of pants and the jacket. She found a grey tank top and quickly got dressed. She grabbed a random hair tie and threw her hair up into a high ponytail, then proceeded to braid it. That way it wouldn't get in her way when she trained.

Satisfied with her new look, Sakura grabbed the first book on chakra control and cracked it open, intent on reading it all. She was gonna prove to everyone that she just wasn't a paper ninja, but that she was an actual physical ninja capable of great things.

And so, she read.

* * *

><p>Sakura's head hurt and she was pretty sure she saw double of everything.<p>

When she had set out on her goal, it had been 9 in the morning. Now it was 5 in the evening and she had only read three of her ten books. One on basic chakra control, one on human anatomy, and one on basic senbon techniques for Genin. She didn't remember asking about it, but guessed Hiro-sensei had added it after thinking about her request. She hadn't known that Hunter nins preferred to use the small needles, and was thankful for Hiro-sensei's thoughtfulness. Then again, she did remember that boy on the bridge using them to "take out" Zabuza before Kakashi-sensei could. Huh, guess there was a lot she didn't know.

All the better that she had Hiro-sensei to help point her in the right direction.

With all that information running around her head, Sakura decided to take a break. She was originally going to get some food and head back to her books, but after looking at her pile of cast offs, she figured she could do some shopping. And after looking at her weapons pouch and meager supply, she also decided to get some new weapons.

She cursed her foolishness. No respectable ninja would keep dull and chipped weapons.

She also cursed her stupidity for allowing herself to do that.

Being a fangirl had clouded her judgment to the point that it could have gotten her killed.

She would buy as many senbon needles as she could, because that was going to be her weapon of choice from now on.

**Fake it till you make it.** Inner whispered in her ear, silently cheering her on.

"Time to go shopping," she said with determination. She just hoped she didn't run into anyone she knew, because they would ask questions and she just didn't have all the answers. She only had her determination and her desire, and those wouldn't be enough, especially if she ran into Ino-pig or her teammates.

Maybe this would be a good time to practice her skills in speed and stealth. She picked up the two books and did a quick scan through, not realizing she had spent an hour scanning the important information. By simply running her eyes over the pages and picking at the important parts, she was able to retain more. When she was done, her head didn't hurt as much as before.

She grinned; she just found a way to read two books in the shortest amount of time, while retaining all the important information without the added headache.

This would definitely help her later on when Hiro-sensei decided to quiz her. But, just to be on the safe side, she would go back and reread the book entirely. Just in case she missed something important.

Sakura grabbed her wallet and opened her window. The sun was still shining, but she could see the shadows stretch further. She applied some chakra to her feet and launched herself forward, thinking it would help silence her landing. Landing on the road below her without any grace, she decided that her theory was correct, however, that did not apply to her grace. She gritted her teeth. She would have to work on her landings. Glancing, she saw no one was around and shot off the ground, landing on the roof of a house nearby. Her landing was a little smoother, but far from perfect. It would take dedication and practice in order to get it right, and she could only hope she would get it mastered by the time Kakashi-sensei would be back. She looked around and faced the direction of the market, where she would be able to get her weapons, clothes, and possible some more books. She wasn't necessarily in need, but she wanted to start her own collection. All in do time, she figured. After taking a deep breath, she applied a small, even amount of chakra to her feet and shot off.

She wasn't aware of being watched from nearby.

* * *

><p>"So that's your student, Anko?" Ibiki asked, chuckling when his friend and partner nodded. He knew Anko was sadistic, sometimes downright evil, but he didn't figure her to be a pure psychopath. He glanced over at the girl's sensei, noting the way his shoulders were tense despite his laid back position.<p>

"Mind telling me why you want to train my student?" Kakashi asked, flipping a page in his infamous orange book. Anko rolled her eyes and bit down on her stick of dango. It wasn't the same one from a few hours ago, as this woman had quite the craving for the sweet buns, and therefore it was probably her fifth or sixth stick. Today.

"She wanted to get stronger, and she was holding a lot of books that relate towards Hunter nins." Anko explained, smirking when Kakashi put his book away. So, he was getting serious now, eh? That was fine with her. This would make what she had to say next all the more sweeter. She knew, just like him, how dangerous being a Hunter nin could be. He was probably running multiple scenarios through his head right now, all of them involving her inhumane death.

"So, you took pity on her?" He asked, venom laced into each word. Anko sneered at his accusing tone.

"Please, I pity nobody but the dead. The brat was talking about how she wanted a new sensei who would pay attention to her, and I happened to be there, so..." Anko trailed off, knowing she had hit a sore spot with that explanation. Kakashi's eye narrowed a little, but he had no one to blame but himself. Sakura had been right in stating that she was being ignored by her sensei, and here he had been trying to protect her from the cruelty of the world. Maybe he shouldn't have doubted her. If he had just paid her a little more attention, maybe she wouldn't go looking for trouble. If he had been a better sensei, she wouldn't feel like she was being ignored. With so many questions running through his mind, he shifted away from his colleagues.

Without a single word, Kakashi poofed away in a cloud of white smoke.

"Geez, dramatic much?" Anko asked herself. Ibiki chuckled darkly and shook his head. Anko had hit him pretty badly, and she knew it.

"So, what are you gonna do tomorrow?" He asked, curious. Anko wasn't known for being kind, not even to kids.

"I'm gonna put her through hell and see if she can handle it."

"And if she can't?"

"Then I'm dropping her like a hot shit."

"You're cruel."

"I know."

"And what if she passes your test, then what? You gonna become her teacher?" Ibiki asked, pushing off of the wall where he had been leaning against for the past ten minutes. Anko gave the imposing man a toothy grin that was said to send shivers down a grown man's back. Ibiki had yet to feel that, probably because he knew her better than anyone else.

"It's about time I pass on my tricks to someone." Anko stated, laughing to herself when Ibiki disappeared. She had always wondered if she could cut it as a teacher.

* * *

><p>Sakura felt the hair on the back of her neck tingle a second before she heard the puff of smoke beside her. She was carrying a few bags filled with new clothes, all in dark colors. She felt that until she was experienced enough, she should stay away from bright colors. Well, her hair didn't count in that equation, because well, genetics. She was headed in the direction of the weapons shop where she knew the owner sold the best and sharpest. She was hoping he would have some senbon needles for her.<p>

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted his pink haired student. She glanced at him and continued waking, not bothering with speaking to the man. Kakashi visibly deflated at her lack of acknowledgment. Guess Anko had been telling the truth. Sakura was tired of being ignored. But it was more than just that. She was tired of always being overlooked in favor of her teammates. She figured he was only here to ask her where Sasuke and Naruto were.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei." She greeted in an even tone that was empty of emotion. It was the kind of tome she used when she was talking to a stranger. Kakashi's eye narrowed a little. Yeah, he had been a bad sensei, but that didn't merit such blatant disrespect from her. He grabbed her shoulder and halted her movements. He felt the slightest flinch under his palm. He let her go and moved to stand in front of her. He wasn't sure why, but feeling her flinch because of him made him feel much worse.

"A little birdie told me you found a new sensei, Sakura-chan." He stated. Sakura nodded not looking up at him. He saw the wheels turning in her head as she observed her surroundings. Her eyes flickered all around them, refusing to land on him. When had she become so aware and attentive? Also, when had she become scared of him? It wasn't like he had ever done anything to her-

That thought made him stop, allowing her to bypass him and continue on her way.

"Is there something you want, Kakashi-sensei? I don't have much free time left before I have to get back home." Sakura stated, finally meeting Kakashi's gaze, even if it was from over her shoulder. He followed after her into a nearby weapons shop, continuing his train of thought from before.

When had she decided to become serious about her training? Last he checked, she was still concerned about impressing Sasuke and beating Naruto to a pulp. Had something changed in the last two days? Did this have anything to do with their mission to the Land of Waves?

Was he really that bad of a sensei if he couldn't see the signs when they were so clear?

"Ah, hello miss. How may I help you?" An older looking man asked, smiling fondly at the young shinobi. He noticed the bags in her hands and how her arms gave off the slightest twitch when she moved them. "Would you like a sealing scroll?" He asked, noting the way her eyes lit up. Sakura's interest was piqued. She nodded eagerly.

"Yes please. Oh, and a few sets of new senbon needles, please." She asked, bowing her head respectfully. The man nodded and shuffled into a back room, coming back a few minutes later with the scroll in one hand and three sets of senbon needles in the other. Kakashi's eye widened. Why would she need that many needles? Was she going to learn how to prick her enemies to death?

"Do you know how to use this scroll?" The man asked in a kind tone. He wasn't being rude, he was simply making sure she knew what she was doing.

"No, not really," she admitted, blushing a little in embarrassment. The man nodded and opened the scroll and gestured for her to come closer.

"It's very simple. You simply bite your thumb and swipe a small amount of blood on one these seals, then apply some chakra to the area. And poof! Your belongings are safely sealed away in this scroll, allowing you to go about your day with free hands." The man explained. Sakura nodded and followed his instructions, aware that Kakashi was watching her every move. She bit her thumb and ran it over a seal in the middle that was slightly bigger than the others and applied a tiny amount of chakra to it. She watched as her bags disappeared in a small cloud of white smoke. The seal glowed a faint blue before returning to a plain black.

"Thank you sir." She said, bowing her head again. The man chuckled and waved her thanks away.

"Such a quick learner you are. You know what, because I like you and you're so polite, I'm going to give you something a little extra." He said, before disappearing back into the back room. Sakura heard him talk to himself and then some rustlings, before he popped back out with two closed fans in one of his hands, and shiny, black blades in his other. The blades were simple in design; they were shaped like tear drops, with both ends sharp as hell. The curved edged was fatter than the point. "These are specially designed fans. You open them and load them up with as many of these blades as you want, then close them. When you snap them open, a spring underneath the blades will push them forward and out. Or, if you want, you can channel your chakra into the springs so that they will only work when you want them to. It's quite useful when you want to surprise your enemy. With a little practice and luck, you'll be able to kill your enemy before they even realize what happened." The man explained, chuckling when Sakura's eyes sparkled in excitement. She had found a new weapon to learn and study; something to help with her goal.

"Oh thank you so much!" She said, reaching for her wallet to pay the man for his kindness. He held up his hand, stopping her.

"Consider it a deal. You only have to pay for the scroll and the needles, and from now on, you buy all your weapons here with a discount. How does that sound?" He asked, smiling when Sakura nodded excitedly and paid him. She grabbed her scroll and fans and placed them in her weapons pouch. Without thinking, she jumped over the counter and hugged the man. She jumped back over and ran out of the shop, shouting behind her,

"You have yourself a deal, sir!" She chirped out, smiling happily. Kakashi could only watch as he followed after her, only to notice that she was gone. He applied chakra to his feet and shot up to the roof or the shop, quickly spotting a flash of pink heading in the opposite direction of her home. He wanted to follow after her, but when he felt the presence of someone beside him, he sighed and turned around.

He had horrible luck.

* * *

><p>Sakura was giddy. Not only did she have new weapons and clothes, but she got a sealing scroll and new fans. She was so excited to try them out, but had to tell herself to wait. First she had to practice walking on water, like that boy had done.<p>

She knew walking on water was somewhat similar to tree walking, but it required more concentration and focus. Water wasn't like a tree; a tree was solid and consistent, and required a medium amount of chakra. Water, however, required large amounts of chakra. Water was always moving, was changing. It was inconsistent. She would have to account for every little ripple, wave, and current. There were fish to also account for. Their movements could disrupt her concentration or disrupt her chakra flow. She had to account for every little break in the surface of the water, and that would be her hardest challenge.

She would have to practice and practice, and practice until she got it right.

But before she did that, she took off her weapons pouch and set it somewhere high where it wouldn't get wet. She wasn't sure what would happen if her new scroll got wet, and she wasn't ready to find out.

Shaking her arms and hands, she walked to the bank of the slow moving river and watched how the water rippled over the rocks and shifted. Okay, that was one more thing she would have to account for.

Taking a deep breath, she applied chakra to her feet and began the slow progress. Once she could stand on top of it, she would practice running, then jumping, then she would try sliding across it.

So far she was doing good. Her feet were moving up and down with the waves, creating a gentle swaying motion. She kept walking until she was near the middle, where she knew it was at it's deepest. She opened her eyes and looked down.

That was her mistake.

Her concentration was broken and she immediately went under. She swam upwards, coughing as water went in her lungs.

"Don't break concentration." She told herself, channeling chakra to her arms so she could pull herself to the top of the water. She was thankful that she had put her hair up.

Second attempt.

Third attempt.

By her fourth attempt, she was able to stand and walk across the water with very little difficulty. She mentally cheered and narrowed her eyes. Time to run.

* * *

><p>By the time she had to go home, Sakura had accomplished all her goals. She was able to walk, run, jump, and slide across water. Sure she was soaking wet and cold to the bone, but she felt accomplished. She could do something that neither her teammates could do, and that made her proud.<p>

She was slowly but surely approaching her goal.

And once she reached it, her teammates would have hell to pay.

* * *

><p><strong>Gaara: 23<br>Itachi: 20  
>Neji: 8<br>Deidara: 3  
>Shikamaru: 3<br>Hidan: 2  
>Sasori: 1<br>Zetsu: 1  
>Kiba: 1<br>Kankuro: 1  
>Ino: 1<strong>

**Temari x Naruto: 1**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Chunin Exams (Part One)  
><strong>

**Edited**

Sakura swore she was gonna kill Anko-sensei. She didn't care how long it took, she would find a way.

Anko-sensei had decided that Sakura's first official day of training would consist of walking on red hot coals. The point wasn't just to constantly channel her chakra to her feet so she wouldn't feel the pain, it was also to regulate the different temperatures her feet were experiencing as she shifted forward. It was similar to walking on water, as the coals would shift underfoot and they varied in heat. It took a few tries, as Anko-sensei had told her to not lift her feet up whatsoever, but Sakura was able to walk across the mile long track of coals around noon. Her feet were scorched and bleeding in multiple places, as coals were also incredibly sharp; she was nearly drained of chakra, but she had done it. And without too much complaining, so Anko had given the girl some credit. The older kunoichi told Sakura to go home and rest her feet. She had scheduled another training session at the same time and at the same place.

Sakura had done just that, but had also decided to do some mental training. After all, her parents weren't home to see her hobble around and Anko-sensei hadn't said she couldn't. Well, she specifically said to rest her feet, which Sakura had really wanted to do, but decided a little reading couldn't hurt. So, after going through the pile of books, she had finally found two that piqued her interest. She read up on Hunter nins and the many legends surrounding them and their lifestyle while she ate lunch. When she was done with that, she had decided to do some laundry. While she waited on that, she read a few books on human anatomy that went more in depth about the way the organs functioned with one another to create balance, how the nervous system could be affected from the outside, and how the chakra gates functioned within a body. Once her laundry was done, she picked up a book on senbon needle techniques while she made her afternoon tea and continued to read until she couldn't focus on the words.

After wrapping her feet with some bandages, she had decided to go to the training grounds and practice her aim and throwing technique with her needles. She remembered from her Academy days that she was ranked as below average when it came to her target practice, and that she had never truly paid attention to what Iruka-sensei was saying about her technique. God, she had been such an idiot back then.

She had practiced for nearly three hours until she could get ten direct hits. Not necessarily one right after the other, but hey, at least she had managed to hit the target. She spent an hour trying to get ten hits in a row, but only managed seven because she was too focused on how she looked while throwing them.

After mentally berating herself, she closed her eyes and tried again. She found that without focusing on what she was doing and instead going through the motions, she could get eight hits in a row.

She practiced again and again, until dawn the next day, smiling proudly at her target. She had finally managed to get ten out of ten and it only took her the entire night.

Now she just needed to try that on a human test dummy to see how effective her hits were.

When Anko-sensei had shown up and found Sakura already there, even before the designated time, she was both annoyed and impressed. The brat was dedicated, she gave her that. Anko listened as the girl explained for why she was there, and after thinking it over, demanded that she show her.

Anko gave tips to help her, but they came out as orders to not suck as badly. She had zero patience for slow learners, and waited for the girl to throw her weapons down and give up. She had heard the rumors that Sakura Haruno was just a fangirl and too soft to be a ninja. She wanted to prove those rumors right. However, Sakura hadn't gotten the memo and adjusted accordingly to the new orders. That had stunned Anko. And Anko was rarely stunned.

Anko grinned evilly and began to throw kunai at Sakura, telling her to dodge. Sakura did her best, but found that she lacked that natural grace every other girl in her class had had, and ended up covered in small scratches and large cuts. She had been tired, panting like an exhausted dog, but hadn't given up.

Anko stopped around noon and told Sakura that not every kunoichi had to be graceful to be a great shinobi. So long as she could dodge weapons and land hits, that was all that mattered. Anko released her with orders to practice her dodging and reflexes.

On the third day, Anko-sensei had tied a blindfold around Sakura's eyes and told her to defend. Sakura did horribly, but proved she was a tough one. She managed to use her other senses the last hour and was able to dodge better, but she still left the training ground bruised and cut up. Yet again.

On the fourth day, Anko repeated the last two lessons and expected improvement. She wasn't disappointed, too much. Sakura had been able to go on the offensive once, and that had been enough for Anko. She wouldn't admit it, but she was starting to like her new student. She was stubborn, strong-willed, and resilient. And she knew Ibiki was starting to like her too, if his constant presence at the edge of the training ground meant anything.

Anko ended that day's session early, telling the brat she had done a good job and gave her orders to continue her practicing until she could go on the offensive at least twice. Sakura had readily agreed to do just that.

Thankfully, through all of this, Sakura's teammates hadn't once come looking for her. She hadn't been sure if she should be disappointed, or happy. She chose to go with the latter, as it made her training easier to focus on. She didn't need distractions, not when she had ten more days before she had to be back.

She, for once, was not happy about going back on missions with her teams. And she had to wonder if this new outlook was because she had found a sensei who only paid attention to her.

Hiro-sensei had made good on his promise to quiz her. When she had returned her books, he had a stack of new ones just waiting for her. They spent three hours going over everything she had studied in the last four days, and he had spent an hour berating her for not getting herself healed up. Sakura used the excuse that all her time was devoted to either training or studying, and that hospital visits would detract her time from one of those so she avoided it all together until a routine could be established.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh days were hell for Sakura's body. She had felt like a rag doll with the way Anko-sensei had attacked her from all sides. She was forced into defense all three days, and she had felt like her practice had been for nothing. What she didn't know, was that Anko was taking her seriously and came at her with the intent to injure. Not kill. She wasn't ready to kill her student.

That would be later on. When she knew the brat could handle it.

Day eight small change. Not a big one, or a little one. But, there had been a change. Sakura had finally had enough and had attacked first, putting Anko on the defensive for once. The brat had come at her with every intention to hurt her, and she had managed to land a hit. Anko's right shoulder stung from the impact, and she had grinned like a devil. She then went after Sakura and put her back on the defensive until noon, when Sakura had managed another change. She had thrown a kunai in the general direction of Anko-sensei, thinking she had heard her move. Her hearing had been correct, sorta. Sakura had managed to put a hole in Anko's coat, which was impressive considering the girl was almost drained of chakra.

That day had been the happiest in Sakura's life. She was improving, and that was all she needed.

Day nine and ten saw different training. Sakura needed to mask her chakra. Anko made her stand in the center of the field and concentrate on masking her chakra. This was one of those things she couldn't explain, as it was different for every person. So, with words of encouragement, she left Sakura there until she could master it.

The took eight hours, two breaks, and one approving sensei.

Anko told Sakura to go home that day and rest up, as the next day would be focused on her killing intent.

The morning of the eleventh, Sakura got to meet Ibiki and feel his killing intent first hand. She had all but cowered at the sheer power of it, but her awe kept her spine rigid and straight.

She spent all day trying to harness her own K.I, and was able to produce a meager amount. Still, it was more than her teammates could conjure up and that was enough for her.

The twelve day was spent repeating Ibiki's lesson until she got enough K.I to surround herself. She worked on it throughout the day, even showing Hiro-sensei. He had freaked out when she told him who taught her that.

Hiro didn't like the direction her training was going, as he didn't want his bright and cheery student to disappear. But he saw how happy she was, which was a huge improvement from the depressed, meek girl from two weeks ago, and that made his doubts vanish. Despite knowing who her teachers were, he knew they were doing something great with her.

Her last two days of freedom were spent on doing whatever she wanted to do. She asked Anko to spar with her, so she could see where she had improved. Anko obliged her request happily and mopped the floor with the girl. But Anko saw the glint in the girl's eyes whenever she got into her stance.

Sakura was slowly becoming Anko's mini double, and the made Anko smug.

Just wait until Kakashi saw his student and what she had become.

* * *

><p>Kakashi-sensei was late, again.<p>

She really shouldn't have been that surprised, but after being spoiled for the past two weeks, she couldn't help but get mad. Anko-sensei had always arrived early for their training.

She had also been spoiled with not having any teammates. Anko-sensei and Hiro-sensei didn't have any other students, so their attention had been undivided when it came to her. But now that she was back to good ol' Team 7, she would ignored again.

Luckily, Anko-sensei had told her that she could always find her down at T&I if being on a team became too much.

Sakura kept that offer in the forefront of her mind as she watched her teammates come into view. She heard Naruto before she saw him, and well, she felt Sasuke's presence not far behind. She was currently laying on the railing of the red bridge, her foot dangling while her eyes were unfocused. She was trying to sense the chakra of her teammates, as a way to keep up with her training. She found that her teammates' chakras were interesting. Naruto's was vibrant, and warm, while Sasuke's was cold. She wondered if everyone's chakra represented their personalities.

Before either of the boys could comment on her change in appearance, a puff of white smoke formed.

Their sensei had finally arrived.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted, giving his students a two finger salute. He ignored Naruto's outburst about him being late in favor of studying Sakura. She had changed in the past two weeks, in more ways than one. Her posture, for one, was more confident. She stood up straighter, prouder. Her aura wasn't as bubbly as before, which was odd. He wondered if she had learned how to suppress that. Her hitea, normally used to hold her hair back, was wrapped lazily around her neck. He noticed that she had gotten the color change. It was no longer red; now it a dark grey. He could only imagine Anko telling her to change it as soon as possible. Her hair, her symbol of pride, was tied up into a low ponytail then braided. It rested over her right shoulder. She no longer wore her long, red dress, which he was happy about. It had been too bright, and too girly. She instead wore baggy, black nin pants, heeled sandals, a fishnet three quarter sleeve shirt over a sleeveless, grey crop-top. Her weapons pouch was in it's normal place and he could only guess as to what was inside. He doubted she had her fans in there, as they looked more like decorations to him than actual weapons.

Overall, she looked like a new person.

He could only hope her appearance was the only thing that had changed.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei," she greeted, her tone even and respectful. At least she still respected him. Sasuke noticed the change in her greeting and raised his eyebrow half an inch before smoothing his look into indifference. He waited for her annoying greeting and her annoying declaration of love. He waited, and waited, and waited.

They all just looked at her, waiting.

Sakura was busy examining her nails, that when she looked up and saw them all staring at her expectantly, she was creeped out.

"What the hell?" She asked, a hand on her hip in defiance.

Kakashi sighed internally; Anko had corrupted his innocent student in only two weeks. That was a new record for her.

"I have some good news," he said, drawing the attention back to him, mainly so a fight wouldn't break out. He knew Anko well enough to know that her bluntness and way of getting under people's skin had probably rubbed off onto Sakura. He had hoped, no prayed, that that wouldn't happen, but his prayers had been shot down. "I've decided to nominate you three for the Chunin Exams!" He stated, waiting for the overjoyed hug he should be getting.

Kami, was nobody listening to him up there?!

* * *

><p><strong>These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.<strong>

**Gaara: 24  
>Itachi: 24<br>Neji: 8  
>Deidara: 3<br>Shikamaru: 6  
>Hidan: 2<br>Sasori: 1  
>Zetsu: 1<br>Kiba: 1  
>Kankuro: 1<br>Ino: 1**

**Temari x Naruto: 1**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Chunin Exams (Part Two)**

**Edited**

"I've nominated you three for the Chunin Exams, which our village will be hosting this year. Now, it's optional to take, but it's usually preferred that the entire team enter." Kakashi explained, lying with a straight face. He knew that if they didn't sign up as a team, they wouldn't be allowed to compete as a team, and if they didn't compete, then they couldn't move up in rank until the next year.

Sakura, however, knew better. She had been told by Anko-sensei that if a team didn't enter together, well, they weren't cut out to be shinobi. Anko-sensei had a weird thing when it came to teams.

"You're lying," she said offhandedly. When she felt eyes on her, she shrugged and leaned against the railing and stared up at the sky. She gave a devilish grin when they waited for her to continue. "Isn't it obvious? The whole point of the Chunin Exams is to compete as a team, hence why you can only be nominated to enter as a team!" She gave a dark chuckle, "We either go in as a team, or we fail as a team." She finished nonchalantly.

"Wait, what? Are you serious, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, to which Sakura nodded. She looked at the papers in Kakashi's hand and pushed herself off the railing. She casually walked up and grabbed two of them firmly while letting the third one get loose and fall to the ground. She turned on her heel and walked back to Naruto, handing him the second sheet.

"It's really simple, Naruto. If we pass, we move up in rank and the missions we take move up in rank as well." She said, knowing that the simplified explanation would be easier for the blond ninja to understand. After all, too many words would only confuse the poor boy.

"That's awesome! Hey, Sakura-chan, want to get some ramen with me? We can fill out these papers together!" He added, already prepping for the usual rejection. He hoped that this new Sakura would say yes, but he knew better than to hope.

"Sure, but only if we can get some dango."

There was not a single person in that area who hadn't heard Naruto's happy yell.

* * *

><p>The three members of team 7 calmly walked through the back streets, joking and laughing as they went to get a simple lunch.<p>

Only, there was only two of them.

And nothing was ever simple with team 7.

Especially since they were being followed by a large box. That talked.

"Naruto~" Sakura sang out, happily waving her fifth stick of dango around. Dango was to Sakura what ramen was to Naruto. When he looked at her, eyebrow raised, she giggled innocently. Her giggle sent a chill down his spine. Naruto didn't like it, not one little bit. "We're being followed by a box." She said, causing him to look over his shoulder to check. Sure enough, there was a box scooting towards them.

"How did you know, Sakura-chan?" He asked, scratching his head. Sakura giggled again, which prompted Naruto to kick the box. Sakura raised an eyebrow and smiled. So, Ibiki-sensei had been right. Killing intent could be channeled into anything, even something as simple as a laugh. She decided that she would try to channel it into something else, if only to see it work again.

After all, Anko-sensei used it all the time with that evil glint in her eyes.

Suddenly, three plumes of smoke popped up, each a different and bright color. They were quickly replaced by three Academy students. She recognized one as the Hokage's grandson, since Hiro-sensei couldn't stop singing praises about the Hokage and his great family.

She ignored the introductions and decided that her dango was a thousand times more interesting. It brought her joy and happiness, whereas those three kids brought nothing but annoyance.

Shit, Anko-sensei was seriously starting to rub off on her if she found kids annoying.

"Hey boss, who's the lady?" Konohamaru asked, looking up at her like she was someone odd. Sakura decided that this was not the best situation to practice in.

"This is Sakura-chan," Naruto said, grinning like an idiot. Konohamaru got a sly grin and shared it with his teammates.

"You must be the boss' girlfriend!" He shouted, pointing at her like she should be proud. Sakura chuckled dryly and ruffled the kid's hair. Ah, what the hell, he was adorable.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm his teammate." She said, diffusing the situation before she lost her temper. The only girl immediately swarmed her, asking her a thousand questions a minute while the other three decided to see who was the faster ninja.

She and the girl watched as the boys took off, Konohamaru in the lead cause Naruto was letting the kid win. They turned a corner and all that was left was their dust trails.

"Maybe we should go check on them. It's too quiet." Sakura said, grabbing the girl and throwing her arm over her shoulder. They walked slowly and casually, chatting about kunoichi topics and how to get boys attention. Sakura didn't know that much in that topic, seeing as how she had never attracted a guy's attention before. But she did tell her how to get ahead in her training.

As they rounded the corner, their light laughter and chatter stopped when they took in the sight before them.

Naruto was yelling at two strangers, more importantly, yelling at the male who had Konohamaru in a death grip, using his scarf as leverage. He was struggling in his hold, trying to kick the male who looked like a cat with its face painted. He was wearing all black, much like her, but had something on his back that was wrapped in bandages. The girl, most likely his teammate, had her sandy blonde hair separated into four spiky ponytails. On her back was a large fan.

They were from Sand, if their hitea were anything to go off of. The female had a wind affinity, seeing as how no one would carry a giant fan around simply for looks.

Sakura assumed that they were here for the Exams.

She smirked, happy to see some of her competition before her.

She pushed Moegi behind her, giving her a look to stay there. She complied easily.

"Now, now, put the boy down." She said, flashing a sweet smile at the boy. He briefly looked up at her and made eye contact. His cocky expression disappeared for a second as he took her in, noting the way she stood protectively in front of the smaller girl, then it was back again as he shook Konohamaru harder than before.

Without really thinking it through, Sakura quickly dipped her fingers into her weapons pouch and let her body do the rest. Her fingers latched onto three needles and she quickly pulled her hand out, snapping her arm up. They were released and sent flying. She could only hope that they missed Konohamaru.

"What the fuck!" The boy shouted, dropping Konohamaru as he held his hand in front of him. One needle was lodged between the first knuckle of his middle finger and his ring finger, another was stuck in the webbing between his thumb and pointer, and the last one was wedged under the nail of his middle finger.

Ooh, she hadn't planned on that.

She _really _should practice her aim.

Maybe next time he won't overlook her and dismiss her.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" She said, channeling her K.I into her _sugary sweet _smile. "When I say 'put the boy down' you put the boy down, understand?" Sakura walked up to the guy and stood right in front of him.

She wanted her needles back.

"Fuck you, bitch." He growled out, wincing as she slowly pulled out the first two needles. One had struck a pressure point; good. The last one she grabbed and pushed it in a little deeper. He tried to smack her, only to have his hand restrained by her other one. She was being serious, he could tell just from the way her eyes shined.

"Don't you ever touch Hokage-sama's grandson again, do you understand?" She said softly, ripping the needle out with as much force as possible. She wanted him to remember her and what she could do with just a needle.

Somewhere in the village, Kakashi felt his blood run cold and knew in his heart that this was the work of Anko.

"Great, Kankuro. See what you did?" The blonde girl asked. Kankuro growled under his breath and took a step back from Sakura. He hated to back down, but something told him that this girl wasn't to be messed with. Not yet, at least.

"Shut up, Temari. How was I supposed to know? They ran into me, disrespectful brats." Kankuro said, shaking his hand a little to get some feeling back into it. He glared at Sakura, but he was impressed. She didn't look like the type to torture. He moved his hand forward to introduce himself, when a rock suddenly made contact with it. "Goddamn it!" He shouted, turning to glare at the new arrival.

Sakura sighed dramatically and sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Sasuke's dramatic posture and appearance.

"You know this guy, Pinky?" Kankuro asked, smirking when Sakura twitched at his nickname for her. She glared at him and gave a curt nod.

"Unfortunately, that's my other teammate." She said, jutting a hip out and finding her fingernails suddenly fascinating.

"Kankuro." A monotone voice called out, grabbing everyone's attention. All eyes turned to the other side of the tree, momentarily forgetting about Sasuke, who was pissed at that, and landed on the missing third Sand nin.

He had pale skin, bright red hair, and piercing jade eyes. Sakura was drawn into them. They were so empty of emotion and light, it was disconcerting to say the least. He was carrying a large gourd on his back, and she figured it had to be filled with sand or water. Why else would he carry something that cumbersome on his back?

Then again, she looked at his teammates, and decided that it had to be a team thing.

"G-Gaara..." Kankuro began, waiting for the massive killing intent to come at him. Only problem, it didn't. Gaara wasn't even looking at him, his eyes were focused on the girl who was busy dusting off Konohamaru and lecturing him about paying attention to his surroundings.

"Who are you-" Sasuke started, only to be cut off by someone's stomach growling.

Yet again, all eyes were on Sakura. She stared back, pointing at Naruto.

"Sooo, who wants some ramen?" She asked.

She didn't even wait for a reply, she just grabbed the kids and took off.

The others just stood there in shock and awe.

Kankuro decided then and there that he liked this girl, even if he didn't know her name.

* * *

><p>They found Sakura at Ichiruka's, chatting amiably with the little brats, looking the picture of innocence.<p>

No one was sure as to why this was creepy.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was glaring at all of them, or the fact that the little girl had done a sudden wardrobe change, looking like a mini Sakura.

Or maybe, it had to do with the fact that she could go from 0-100 real quick.

* * *

><p><strong>These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.<strong>

**Gaara: 43  
>Itachi: 41<br>Neji: 15  
>Shikamaru: 14<br>Sasori: 4  
>Deidara: 3<br>Kiba: 3  
>Harem: 3<br>Ino: 2  
>Kankuro: 2<br>Hidan: 1  
>Zetsu: 1<br>**

**Temari x Naruto: 3  
>Hinata x Naruto: 1<br>**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Chunin Exams (Part Three)  
><strong>

**Edited**

"Whoa, let me get this straight; you not only attacked three opponents, but you also threatened them? And you did this in front of the Hokage's grandson?" Anko asked, listing everything she found hilarious. When her little student nodded, she roared in laughter. Who knew that two weeks could change this girl from a little wallflower into a killer badass. Anko wanted to pat herself on the back for a job well done. Hell, she should probably get Kakashi to do it, seeing as how she _was _his student.

Somewhere in a deserted training field, Kakashi sneezed.

"Naruto was trying to be diplomatic about it, but seeing as how the male, Kankuro I believe, didn't feel like listening, I took matters into my own hands." Sakura added, taking a small, polite sip of her tea. Anko snorted; Naruto being diplomatic? Yeah right! That was like saying Sasuke wasn't dead set on revenge!

Naruto and Sasuke both sneezed, before continuing on with their sparring session.

"Bullshit." Anko said, getting serious. She leaned forward, giving Sakura a toothy grin. Her student gave her own matching grin. "He dismissed you as an opponent, didn't he?" Sakura nodded. Anko rolled her eyes. "How much damage did you cause?"

"Minimal. Three needles into his right hand. One in between a first knuckle, another in the webbing by his thumb, last one under his finger nail." Sakura stated calmly, like she was talking about the weather. Unbeknownst to her, her mindset was slowly slipping down a dangerous slope. Anko could see it, and wondered if she should stop it, or give it the push it so desperately needed. "The last one was unplanned, but worked to my advantage." She added, taking another sip of her tea.

"Unplanned? Or calculated?" Anko asked, chuckling darkly when Sakura refused to answer. She reached across the table and ruffled her student's hair. Sakura grumbled about how long it took to get her hair that way. She noticed that her brat had pulled her hair back and braided it, and then tucked the braid back under so it would stay out of the way. She liked it, made it harder to grab in a spar.

Her student was catching on quickly.

Anko knew that Sakura should've been with her team, but had snagged the girl for an early brunch in order to give advice. She didn't want to admit it, but the girl was growing on her, and she knew Ibiki was starting to like the girl as well. The more she thought about it, the more she found that they were slowly becoming a family.

A sick and twisted family, but a family nonetheless.

Sakura was starting to think the same thing, as she hadn't seen her real family in over two months. Her parents had left on a business trip, which wasn't unusual, but normally they would try to stay in touch.

She said try because her parents were at odds with her about her new lifestyle.

"Alright, brat, gossip time is over." Anko stated, her features smoothing out into a serious look. Sakura knew that look all too well. It meant she was about to be given training. "I've been thinking about your training lately; I've decided that once you pass the Exams, and I know you will, that I'm going to request to be your sensei."

"I thought you were already my sensei." Sakura stated, getting smacked in the back of her head.

"Cheeky brat. I mean as your actual sensei. I won't be having your time split between Kakashi and myself. I'm selfish and I hate sharing. Especially with Kakashi." Anko said, her tone making it clear that Sakura wasn't allowed to argue.

And she didn't want to. Anko-sensei was the perfect teacher. She showed up on time, she actually cared about her training, she took her seriously, and she was devoted to her when they were training.

Sakura couldn't stop herself from launching herself across the table to strangle her teacher in a hug. Anko shouted in surprise at the sudden display of affection, and wanted to pull the girl off of her, but resisted. She knew firsthand what it was like to be overlooked. So, she understood why Sakura was so grateful.

"Alright, alright, get the hell off me, brat." Anko yelled, though her voice was void of any anger. Sakura laughed and got off, putting some money down and disappearing in a blur of colors.

Anko simply laughed, shaking her head as she ordered another plate of dango.

* * *

><p>Sakura landed in front of the Academy, frowning at the small amount of dust she had kicked up. She was getting better with her landings, but not good enough in her opinion. She had studied up on more Hunter nin techniques and found that they didn't leave a single trail; they were practically ghosts. You couldn't track them, couldn't put a tail on them. It was like they didn't even exist, even if one was standing right in front of you.<p>

You would never know; your death would be so swift you wouldn't even realize you were dead.

Just the thought of becoming that great one day made her stomach do flips. She couldn't wait to start training again with Anko-sensei.

She double checked her outfit, a nervous habit of hers. She never could kick it. She was wearing black nin pants, a mesh tank top, and an off-the-shoulder crop top; black of course. She also had her heeled sandals, as they just looked and felt better. Not to mention, they made her feel better.

Now, if she could just find her teammates, she could get this show on the road.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the short chapter, had a time crunch. Voting is still on going.<strong>

**These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.**

**Gaara: 54  
>Itachi: 52<br>Shikamaru: 18  
>Neji: 15<br>Sasori: 5  
>Kiba: 4<br>Harem: 4  
>Deidara: 3<br>Ino: 2  
>Kankuro: 2<br>Hidan: 1  
>Zetsu: 1<br>Madara: 1  
><strong>

**Temari x Naruto: 5  
>Hinata x Naruto: 8<br>Ino x Sai: 1  
>Temari x Shikamaru: 1<br>Sasuke x Hinata: 1  
><strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Chunin Exams (Part Four)  
><strong>

**Edited**

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, running up to her and slinging his arm around her shoulders. She resisted the urge to duck away, knowing it would only end up hurting him. She didn't want to do that. He quickly hugged her, which she returned. That surprised both him and Sasuke.

Especially Sasuke. He thought Sakura still hated Naruto with a passion, just like he thought she still loved him without question.

Looks like he was getting a cold dose of reality.

About damn time.

"Hey, Naruto. You ready to become a Chunin?" She asked, giving him a simple smile. She started walking towards the front doors, ready to get this show on the road.

She felt like she was on cloud nine, walking through those doors. After her morning chat with Anko-sensei, she couldn't help but feel happier. She had finally had a sensei who cared about her training, and she finally had a goal.

She refused to acknowledge her fangirl made goal. It had been petty and childish. Just like she had been.

"Does Hokage-sama wear a funny hat?" Naruto replied, making the two of them laugh. Sakura threw her arm over Naruto's shoulders and dragged him along with her. The action surprised him, but didn't stop her. She started telling him different things to remember for the exam, and she started asking him questions about battle strategy. He couldn't answer a lot of them, but the ones he did answer, she told him good job. That made him happier than getting free ramen.

"So listen, we're newbies so that means keeping a low profile."

"What's a low profile, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked once inside. Sakura led them to the stairs, since they had to go to the third floor to turn in their applications. As they walked up, Sasuke followed silently, and Sakura quickly explained.

"Low profile means no loud introductions, no loud exclamations, and nothing that will draw attention to us." She said, rounding the corner that would lead them to the second floor. She felt something tickle the back of her mind, like an itch she just couldn't reach. "Naruto, we've entered into a genjutsu." She said softly, gesturing to the number of the door in front of them. Instead of there being a 2, there was instead a 3 preceding the other two numbers. Naruto looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

"What do you mean?"

"How many flights of stairs did we just climb?" She asked, smiling at him. She decided that she would practice her patience with him.

"One?"

"So what floor are we on?" She asked, this time smirking when realization dawned on him.

"This is the second floor! Sakura-chan, you're really smart!" Naruto shouted, drawing everyone's attention to them. Sakura slapped her forehead. She had just finished telling him to keep a low profile, and here he was shouting.

Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar and began to drag him towards the stairs, hoping to get away as quickly as possible. She did not want to deal with any confrontations. However, her luck had run out apparently. While she had been occupied with getting her teammate away from the crowd, she had drawn the attention of another team; one slightly older than hers.

There were three of them; a female with brown hair in twin buns, a Hyuuga that looked like he had a stick shoved up his ass, and a green beast.

She swore this guy had to be a beast, as no one would willingly wear that green jumpsuit and hair cut.

Or those eyebrows.

"What is your name?" The green clad boy asked, appearing in front of her. She blinked. He was fast, too fast for eyes to keep up with. Sakura deduced that he had to be a taijutsu specialist. She immediately tried to sense his chakra, and found that it was almost nonexistent. She wanted to see how far she could reach out to his, to see if something was wrong with his chakra coils. She didn't reach out too far, but it was enough to get a sense of them.

They were badly damaged and underdeveloped.

Yep, definitely a taijutsu user, seeing as how that required very little chakra.

"Uh, Haruno Sakura. Nice to meet you?" She asked, as she wasn't sure if she could trust him and his team just yet. Sure, they were from the same village, but that didn't necessarily mean they could be trusted. Anko-sensei had told her more than once that trusting too many people could be dangerous. Even if they were from the same village.

Sakura didn't ask; too much darkness for her.

"Such a lovely name for such a lovely blossom!" The boy cried out. Sakura took a step back, wondering if now would be a good time to practice her disappearing skills. She turned slightly on her heel and channeled some chakra into her feet. Before she could even get away, a hand latched onto her wrist. She was just about to break the poor boy's nose when another hand held her back. She twisted around to find both the boy and his teammate holding her back.

"Let go of me." She hissed out, glaring darkly at both of them. The boy let her go, but the Hyuuga, he had other plans.

"I-I just wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend." The boy said, chuckling awkwardly. Sakura relaxed her glare, but still wanted her wrist free.

"No." She said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I don't know you, or your teammates. You don't know me, or my team. For all I know, you could be another genjutsu set up by the village in order to weed out the weaker teams." She stated, yanking her wrist free from the Hyuuga's grasp. His touch left a burning sensation on her skin, and she wasn't sure if she liked that or not.

"My apologies! I am Rock Lee, and this is Neji Hyuuga, my eternal rival. And that is Tenten over there." Lee explained, pointing out each of his teammates with as much excitement as a fat kid seeing cake.

Bad analogy, but hey, whatever worked.

"You can't just ask Sakura-chan to be your girlfriend, Bushy Brows!" Naruto finally chimed in, catching on to the situation. Sasuke had gone halfway up the stairs before remembering that he had a team, and stood there silently. Brooding.

She was starting to get very annoyed with his standoffish nature.

Made her want to practice her techniques until her knuckles bled. Again.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Lee asked, smirking in challenge.

Ah shit, this wasn't going to end well. Sakura had to find a way to leave before things turned weird, and found her chance when she spotted Neji glaring at Sasuke.

"Hey Lee, I think your 'eternal rival' just found someone worthy of his attention," she said offhandedly. Tenten let out a bark of laughter, so Sakura knew she had said the right thing. When Lee turned around to see if this was true, Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar and quickly jumped up the stairs. She was glad that she hadn't stopped the unconscious channeling of her chakra to her feet. It made for a quick and clean getaway.

* * *

><p>Sakura all but tackled Naruto when he made a beeline for the door that would lead them to their Exam. She smacked him lightly on the back of the head and reminded him that they were not supposed to make any type of entrance that would attract the wrong kind of attention.<p>

He had pouted, but agreed with her nonetheless.

So, instead of kicking the door open and announcing themselves like idiots, Sakura simply pushed the door open and slid through it. Her teammates followed her example. When she saw that no one had bothered to look their way, she let out a sigh of relief. That was one confrontation they had avoided.

"Sasuke-kun!" A shrill voice shouted out, breaking Sakura's silent moment. She twitched slightly and turned around to find her old friend and old rival trying to strangle Sasuke. If it wasn't for her sudden dislike in the boy, she might've acted jealous about the situation.

Thankfully, she had grown up in the short amount of time.

Rolling her eyes, she decided to find a quieter area to think in. She had to come up with a strategy, and quickly. Anko-sensei had given her a mission earlier that morning, and she wasn't about to fail.

When she found that there was a small empty space next to Shikamaru, she quickly took it. Farther away she was from Ino, the better. She did not have the patience to argue with that girl, especially over something so stupid as a childhood crush.

Happy to be away, she leaned against the wall and focused her energy on surveying the room. She scanned over each face, over each team, each hitea. She found no team to be concerned with, and turned to scan the other side. She saw the team from Sand, the one that she had personally encountered. She narrowed her eyes.

Kankuro and Temari kept a distance between them and everyone around them. They also made sure that they had distance between them and Gaara. She was pretty sure she had heard the name Gaara. They looked on edge, but hid it well. Gaara wasn't showing any emotion, even when he caught her staring.

The old her would've been embarrassed, but the new her wasn't. She knew that if she played her cards right, she would be hidden behind a mask. And the target wouldn't even notice her.

Gaara waited for her features to turn into a mask of disgust and fear, like everyone else's. When they didn't, he became confused. He didn't like it when he was confused.

She simply raised and eyebrow at him and slowly moved her attention back to her group of old classmates.

Team eight had finally arrived.

She casually glanced over them, trying to detect any changes to them since they had graduated. She noticed that Shino was still antisocial, Kiba still had Akamaru with him, and Hinata was still fidgeting. However, they did give off the feeling that they were on better terms than her own team did, so that was a definite improvement.

Sakura decided that she would have to watch them, to see if they had been overlooked like she had been.

She filed away her observations, unaware that Shikamaru had been making his own.

The minute she had detached herself from her team and made her way over to him, he knew something was up. And it had more to do than her sudden wardrobe change.

He had heard the rumors his dad talked about; the ones where Anko Mitarashi had finally found a student worth teaching. He, much like his dad, didn't think they were true. After all, who would be crazy enough to ask Anko to mentor them?

Apparently, Sakura was crazy enough.

He noted her proud posture, her confident smile, and most importantly, her calculated walk. She kept her steps light and soft, like she was trying to not make a single noise. Her clothes barely made any noise; and when she leaned against the wall, all he could hear was her soft breathing.

Something wasn't right about her. She was being too careful, too calculated.

The way she was observing everyone was making him nervous. It was like she was trying to find a weakness, something to exploit.

This wasn't the same girl he had gone to class with; no, this was someone not to be messed with.

Shikamaru decided then and there; Sakura Haruno was someone to watch out for.

When she turned to look at him and shot him an _innocent _smile, he mentally cursed himself.

* * *

><p>Ibiki-sensei sure did have a way of entering a room.<p>

His K.I filled the area, striking fear into everyone's heart.

Well, everyone except one person.

He saw the flash of pink and gave a toothy grin that looked very mean. So, Kakashi had decided to enter his team, huh? Good for him. Ibiki could only wonder how the Copy Cat would take the news of Sakura's transfer to Anko.

He chuckled darkly.

He knew Kakashi was probably having a damn heart attack right about now.

* * *

><p><strong>These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.<strong>

**Gaara: 65  
>Itachi: 64<br>Shikamaru: 21  
>Neji: 16<br>Harem : 7  
>Sasori: 6<br>Kiba: 4  
>Madara: 4<br>Deidara: 3  
>Ino: 2<br>Kankuro: 2  
>Hidan: 1<br>Zetsu: 1  
><strong>

**Temari x Naruto: 6  
>Hinata x Naruto: 15<br>Ino x Sai: 3  
>Temari x Shikamaru: 4<br>Sasuke x Hinata: 2  
>Sasuke x Karin: 2<br>Sasuke x Temari: 1  
>Tenten x Neji: 1<br>**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Chunin Exams (Part Five)  
><strong>

**Edited**

Sakura stood next to Anko, casually wondering why she had been dragged into T&I. She knew it had something to do with her "mission" from her sensei, but why did everyone else have to be here?

She saw Kakashi-sensei, soon to be just Kakashi once these exams were done, Ino's dad, Shikamaru's dad, and Choji's dad. She didn't bother mentioning Ibiki-sensei, seeing as how this entire building was his playground.

She knew it was also Anko-sensei's, but for the next few weeks, the exams would be her little playground.

Besides, Sakura had to go find Hiro-sensei and learn as much as she could about Training Ground 44. She had heard the rumors about it, but wanted to separate fact from fear.

But first, she had to see what Anko-sensei wanted with her.

"Alright brat, spill what you know." Anko said, smacking her little protegee on the back. Sakura didn't even wince. Damn, she felt so proud of her little student.

"All three teams that graduated this year from the Academy have entered the exams. Another team, a year older than us, have also entered. At first glance, they didn't seem like much since they had fallen for the genjutsu at the beginning of the day. However, with a second glance, they seemed like a threat. There were two males, one female. A Hyuuga who seemed like he was better than anyone else, a boy with damaged chakra coils, and a girl who didn't look like she belonged to any big clan. Anyone would be quick to call them nondescript." She explained calmly, shrugging her shoulders like this was no big deal. Anko could barely suppress her happy grin.

Her student was meant to be a Hunter nin. She could see it, Ibiki could see it, hell, even Kakashi could see it. Now, all that was left was trying to convince a few more senior members.

If they were convinced, then Sakura would be officially trained as a Hunter.

"Rock Lee has badly damaged chakra coils that are also underdeveloped. Which leaves him only Taijutsu to study. He was very fast, too fast for the eyes to follow. He wears leg warmers, but they're most likely hiding weights. The girl didn't show any special signs of being a master, but I wouldn't put it pass her to have a few tricks up her sleeves. The Hyuuga, his name was Neji. He seems quick to dismiss others until proven otherwise. I'm guessing he's part of the Branch family?" She added, unsure. She knew Hinata was from the Main house, and she only had a sister, which meant the the boy had to at least be a cousin of hers.

"I would say they have good team dynamics, excellent skills, and will be a threat in the upcoming exams." Ibiki added, to which Sakura nodded. She liked that he had pretty much summed up everything she had just said.

She wanted to learn how to do that.

It was pretty quiet as the others in the room took in her deductions and observations. She hadn't told them everything, however, she would fill in Anko-sensei about the team from Sand. They were way more dangerous than anyone from her own village.

She would need some more training to get to their level, and she wasn't sure if she could.

"Well, it looks like you turned out to be quite a keeper, Sakura." Ibiki commented, giving the girl an approving look. She appreciated that. It was more than Kakashi-sensei had ever given her in the long months she had known him.

"I can't believe you turned sweet Sakura into a spy." Inoichi finally said, shaking his head. He was impressed, he really was, but he had expected this kind of skill from someone...better. Like Shikamaru.

He knew Sakura, knew her a lot better than anyone else here. She was built for a desk job; a paper ninja, so to speak. She wasn't the kind to observe.

She wasn't built to be in this line of work; he knew it, his friends knew it, and Kakashi probably even knew it.

"I didn't turn her into anything she didn't want to be," Anko snapped, her eyes narrowing. She had seen the look of doubt in his eyes, the way he had all but dismissed her sudden skills. Sakura, however, hadn't missed it.

"You doubt me, Inoichi-san." She said softly, even though she had wanted to shout it. She should've known that no one would believe in her. "Why?" She asked.

Inoichi didn't have an answer, not after seeing this girl before him. She had seen through his statement and went straight to the truth. He had watched her eyes, the most expressive things about her, and saw them turn cold. She had shut down her emotions like a switch. All because of one thing he had said.

"What are you hoping to gain from this training?"

"A sensei who doesn't dismiss it," she answered quickly. Again, he couldn't read her.

"You already have a sensei." He answered back.

"He's not-" Sakura started to say, only to be cut off by Anko-sensei grabbing her shoulders. She felt her sensei's anger radiating off of her.

"Sakura here is going to be my student after the exams. Paperwork has already been filled out and approved. You boys are looking at the newest recruit for the Hunter nin program." Anko stated.

Sakura swore she could hear a mouse piss, it was so silent.

* * *

><p><strong>These are the votes for who Sakura gets paired up with.<strong>

**Itachi: 82  
>Gaara: 75<br>Shikamaru: 25  
>Neji: 17<br>Harem : 8  
>Sasori: 6<br>Madara: 6  
>Kiba: 4<br>Deidara: 3  
>Ino: 2<br>Kankuro: 2  
>Hidan: 1<br>Zetsu: 1  
><strong>

**Temari x Naruto: 6  
>Hinata x Naruto: 17<br>Ino x Sai: 3  
>Temari x Shikamaru: 5<br>Sasuke x Hinata: 2  
>Sasuke x Karin: 4<br>Sasuke x Temari: 2  
>Tenten x Neji: 2<br>Tenten x Naruto: 2  
><strong>


End file.
